Why We Often Fail to See Him The message centers on the spiritual danger of allowing worldly influences—symbolized by the 'leaven' of the Pharisees, Sadducees, and Herod—to shape one's thinking, even among those who have witnessed miracles. Drawing from Matthew 16, it emphasizes that Jesus' warning was not about physical bread but about the corrupting influence of religious hypocrisy, legalism, and worldly compromise that distort truth and hinder faith. The disciples, despite having seen supernatural provision, still operated in natural reasoning, revealing their lack of spiritual discernment and failure to grasp the eternal significance of Jesus' teachings. The message underscores that true faith is not based on logic or past experiences but on continual, obedient trust in Christ, which produces the fruit of the Spirit—love, joy, peace, and righteousness—especially under pressure. Ultimately, the sermon calls believers to remain rooted in the Spirit, abiding in Christ, so that His presence and power are manifest in their lives, and to discern truth through Scripture illuminated by the Holy Spirit, not by the shifting standards of the world. Why We Often Fail to See Him A Revival-Style Sermon from Matthew 16 Amen and amen. If you've got your Bible tonight, take it and turn with me to Matthew chapter 16. Matthew chapter 16. Now Brother Shandy said chapter 16 earlier, and I opened my Bible—and it just jumped off the page at me. And I'll tell you why. Because a lot of times, church, we think God is only concerned with material things, when in reality He's doing something far deeper and far more spiritual than we often recognize. We think about bread… And He's talking a
